vWritten submission, Law Society of Scotland
The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance also highlighted the need for training to be factored into any budget considerations, stating that they believed “…there will be significant training implications for any advocacy organisation delivering this service as it is vital that workers are fully conversant with the legislation and the onward legal processes.”xiiWritten submission SIAA
Tom McNamara, Head of Youth Justice and Children’s Hearings at the Scottish Government explained that the Scottish Government had already established who might fulfil the role of Advocacy Worker, stating
We are talking about drawing on and then supporting an existing cohort of legally qualified solicitors who are already operating on the children’s legal assistance...